DWP introduces new change to PIP assessments under Labour government

Personal Independence Payment (PIP) assessments will undergo a shake-up with "faster" decisions now made by Jobcentre managers

The Department for Work and Pensions has introduced a new change for PIP assessments under the new Labour Party government. Personal Independence Payment (PIP) assessments will undergo a shake-up with "faster" decisions now made by Jobcentre managers.

Case managers at the DWP are set to take a larger role in deciding PIP assessments. Jobcentre case managers are increasingly making important decisions over the benefit, which is claimed by a whopping three million people in the UK.

Labour Party MP Sir Stephen Timms says assessments will be sped up with case managers making "decisions on reviews, avoiding the need for a functional assessment." He said: "We continue to prioritise new claims to PIP to ensure claims are put into payment as quickly as possible.

READ MORE Drivers risk £5k fine and 'police action' if they ventured out on road yesterday

"Unfortunately, this means many customers are waiting longer than expected for their review to be undertaken." Changes will hand power back to case managers to make more of the decisions over PIP reviews and assessments.

This could then hopefully clear a backlog of people waiting to claim. Minister Timms said that case managers would make these calls "where sufficient evidence/information is available," which he said would mean claimants receiving "a decision faster" than they would currently.

He went on to say that the new health assessment providers who began work this month will “be taking steps to ensure they have sufficient capacity to deliver the required volume of assessments” but that it will take time to train new healthcare professionals.

DWP staff will be making more decisions on reviews without the need for the claimant to be assessed by a healthcare professional, even on paper. It is unlikely that case managers will only look at review cases where there is new medical evidence, though.

Instead, current information including recent examples of difficulties that you have experienced is likely to be of considerable importance. Mr Timms added: "We’ve introduced a change for customers with the most severe conditions, on the highest level of support, who now receive an ongoing PIP award which is only subject to a light touch review every 10 years."

In the meantime, the DWP hopes to move cases through the system more quickly.